Thousands flee M23 rebel group in DRC following fresh fighting | DW News

Thousands of people are on the move in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, fleeing fresh fighting in the region. The M23 rebel group has captured swathes of territory from the Congolese Army in one of Sub-Saharan Africa's most mineral-rich regions. M23 , which is backed by Rwanda, is now closing in on the city of Goma where many people have fled to. The ongoing violence has created one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises.

What’s the role of UN peacekeepers?

 

DRC has asked the UN to withdraw its troops saying it has failed to protect civilians.

The United Nations Peacekeeping mission has been around for more than 60 years.

In that time, it has helped many countries transition from conflict to peace and stability.

The life of the super-rich in Central Africa | DW Documentary

 

Many millionaires live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world's poorest countries. This film depicts some of those who have made fortunes amid the chaos, including musicians, mining bosses, entrepreneurs and preachers.

Surviving the 'swallow,' DR Congo's train of death

Thousands cram onto roofs and narrow spaces between wagons of a 50-year old train, risking severed limbs and death.

In Kamina, an important railway node in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, every day hundreds of people are getting on a train named after a bird, the "swallow". Locally known as the "hirondelle", it is, for the most part, the only link people in remote villages have to the outside world.

More than 2,000 people, three times the train's capacity, squeeze into its carriages, bathrooms are used for storage. For those who aren't able to find a place or who can't afford a ticket, there's always the roof. The train is unkempt, which makes travelling aboard the 'hirondelle' a dangerously risky journey.